It's only a 3-year commitment if he goes down the tubes (which I hope won't be the case). He gives them stability on the back end while the rest of the youngsters come up. Since they were barely spending above the salary floor, it's not as if management doesn't have the $$ to spend.

I think that more teams than just Pheonix would have been interested in Bryzgalov. Tampa Bay is obvious, then there's Colorado where Theodore's contract will be up. That's just two off the top of my head.

I think that more teams than just Pheonix would have been interested in Bryzgalov. Tampa Bay is obvious, then there's Colorado where Theodore's contract will be up. That's just two off the top of my head.

With Tellqvist extended, too, and capable of being a backup, Phoneix finally has some stability in net, which is something this franchise needed. There hasn't been a lot of hope in Phoneix. When something good comes along, and people actually, seriously contemplating a scenario where they make the post-season when everyone predicted they'd be dead last this year, you need to lock that down.

I doubt that Burke was able to find any GM willing to make a trade. The number of teams that would be interested in Bryzgalov this summer probably didn't have the room (in terms of cap room or roster spot) to acquire him mid-season, other than Phoenix.

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About Me

A sportswriter at The Globe and Mail, James covers the NHL and the game of hockey. He is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, a radio and TV analyst with TSN and was the NHL network manager at SB Nation from 2008 to 2010. A graduate of Thompson Rivers and Ryerson universities, James grew up in Kamloops, B.C. — one of Canada's great hockey cities — and was a season ticket holder in the Blazers' glory years.

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